Barney Holden was born in Winnipeg on March 21, 1881. His father, Patrick, was born in Montreal; and his grandfather, Daniel, was from Co. Wexford. A Canadian Professional Ice Hockey defenceman, Barney played 120 games in various professional and amateur leagues, including the National Hockey Association and International Professional Hockey League. Making history when he scored the first goal, in the first game, of the very first professional Hockey league game on December 9, 1904 in the Pittsburgh Duquesne Gardens.

His professional hockey career was 1904 - 1912 His position was Defence for Portage Lakes Hockey Club, Winnepeg Strathconas and Maple Leafs, the Montreal Shamrocks, Quebec Bulldogs and Saskatoon Wholesalers. His playing career was 1904 -1912. Holden died in Burnaby, B.C. Oct. 27, 1948.

The ISSC Harps Football Team (Men’s) Winners of the 2014 North American Intermediate Championship Final are as follows:

Eddie Macken was born October 20,

1949 in Granard, Longford, Ireland.

An Irish equestrian show jumper, he

was a member of the Irish team that won the Aga Khan Cup three years in a row (1977 to 79), four consecutive Hickstead Derby wins (1976 to 79), two silver medals at the Show Jumping World Championships and one at the 1977 European Championships and many Grand Prix victories.

Many of Macken's achievements were gained in brilliant partnership with his Irish bred gelding, Boomerang. From Macken's first rides with Boomerang as a four-year-old in 1970, the pair blazed a trail of wins that lasted a decade before an injury meant retirement for Boomerang.

Eddie moved to Canada in the early 2000s and settled at New Kells Farm in Langley, British Columbia. He participated on the North American show jumping circuit. He was asked by the Irish showjumping team manager and Chef d'Équipe Robert Splaine to jump at the Failte Ireland Dublin Horse Show 2008 as part of the Aga Khan Nations Cup team. It was Macken's first time on an Irish equestrian team in more than a decade. The Irish team finished 2nd. Eddie frequently headed back to Ireland in search of the right horse for one of his show jumping clients. He has two sons - Stevie and Jamie.

Joseph P. Ryan was one of the seven co-founders of the GAA. He was born in Carrick-on-Suir in April, 1857. Having qualified as a Solicitor he practised in Callan and Thurles. In 1899 Ryan emigrated to Canada and settled in Cranbrook, British Columbia where he became inmmersed in local life - the Board of Trade, the Mining Industry and as a Police Magistrate as well as becoming a prominent journalist. He died in March, 1918 and is buried in Cranbrook. Tribute was paid to Ryan by the Vancouver Irish Sporting and Social Club, founded in 1974, and the renaming of its 2010 Junior 'A' North American County Board Championship hurling team now the "Joseph Patrick Ryans" in honour of a founding member of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. In response, Ryan’s family paid this tribute in a correspondence with GAA From: Joseph Ryan’s grand-daughter and great-grand-daughter a message to the Vancouver GAA Club and especially to the new Joseph P Ryans! " We, the family of Joseph Ryan, would like to sincerely congratulate the Club on its newly-formed team and wish them every success in the future.It is a great honour for our family to have a team named after our fore-father and to have his name remembered after all these years.In our family, Joseph Ryan is remembered as a brilliant solicitor and barrister who was interested in everything and everyone and could never refuse to help a needy case, even though, as was so often in those impoverished times, his clients could only pay him through barter. It would appear that this trait resulted in him having to emigrate to Canada to make ends meet, but having reached British Columbia, his zest for life knew no bounds. It is only recently that the details of his extraordinary life there have been revealed and we have been amazed to discover his diverse career as a journalist, geologist and politician as well as barrister, Judge and a leading citizen of the new town of Cranbrook. We knew about his attendance at the first meeting of the GAA and his membership of the first committee set up to set up and foster Gaelic athletics, football and hurling. It is typical of Joseph Ryan that he was active in the campaign – throughout his life he supported causes that tried to improve life for the communities in which he found himself and this would have been his interest in the movement. It is very fitting that a Club that is benefiting from the new wave of Irish emigrants coming to Canada is naming its new Team after the GAA Founding Father who also left Ireland’s shores so long ago to seek his fortune in Canada. We wish that all who wear this jersey wear it proudly and remember the man who did what he could to support the the formation of the GAA in Ireland

and, having come to Canada, found

the opportunities to use and enjoy all

his talents for the good of all."

The man beyond and before hockey fame : ORR - My Story Penguin Canada

The 1899 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Shamrocks;

Henry Judah "Flip" Trihey ... Hockey Hall of Fame

seated third from left

'Go west, young man was' the advice of the wise to youth of the Maritimes as Canada began to develop. They should have added, “And don’t forget to look back!”, for had they done so, people would not still be searching for the Birthplace of Hockey - Gaiqurth Vaughan

The latest 'discussion' about hurling and hockey is a documentary film, 'The Puck of the Irish', and Long Pond, Nova Scotia is at the centre of it. Retired Irish national hurling champion and coach, Gerard "Ger" Loughnane, supports the widely held opinion that hockey is rooted in the game brought to Canada by Irish immigrants.

Some say that hurling is older than the recorded history of Ireland. Perhaps arriving in Ireland with the Celts. The earliest written refernces to the sport in Brehon law date to the 5th Centur Legends describe the hero Cúchulainn playing hurling at Emain Macha.

A connection to Canada's First Nations arose in 2008 when a Quebec City antique dealer got a Mi'kmaq crafted stick that could be 350 years old. For sure as early or earlier than the 1870's, the Mi'Kmaq were carving single-piece sticks similar to field hockey sticks. The native Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia had their own field and ice game which they called Oochamkunutk. When they came to play Hurley on Ice, they called it Alchamadyk ... an Irish name for Hurley is Camogie and the Gaelic name of a similar Scottish field game of Shinty is Chamanachd, which means crooked stick. The similarity of the spoken words does suggest a relationship to the origin of Ice Hockey in Nova Scotia.

A hurley (or camán) is a wooden stick used to hit a sliotar (leather ball) in the Irish sport of hurling. It measures between 45-100 cm (18-40") with a flattened, curved end (the bas) which provides the striking surface. and did you know ... the hurley is often given as a gift to or between politicians; for example, Mary and Martin McAleese were

given them when she received the freedom of Kilkenny in 2009; Barack Obama was given one by

Enda Kenny on his visit to Ireland in 2011; and Prince Philip was given a hurley and sliotar during

Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Ireland.

KEEPING sporting TRADITIONS ALIVE

The ISSC – Harps Team (Ladies) – 2014 North American Championship Finalists in Boston Massachusetts are

Even Canada's national sport has Irish roots. In the 17th Century a popular Waterford folk song praised the hurlers from Faha Stogeen on the banks of Newfoundland. Sticks are modified but enthusiasm prevails. Televisions (as radios were) are tuned to Hockey Night in Canada and young people are inspired by Canada's sports heroes.

Robert Gordon 'Bobby' Orr

Hockey Hall of Fame 1979

Pat Quinn was born to Jean (née Ireland) and John Ernest Quinn in Hamilton, Ontario, on 29 January 1943, the first of their five children. He grew up in a wartime house in Hamilton’s east end and attended St. Helen’s School and later, Cathedral High School. Quinn had a busy childhood, playing baseball, football and hockey when he could spare time from church, school and his part-time jobs delivering groceries and the Globe and Mail. At age 13, Quinn decided he wanted to become a priest, but changed his mind after a summer at seminary school in Niagara Falls. Sports were too good to give up, though playing professional hockey wasn't on his mind.

Pat Quinn’s family can be traced back to Banbridge Co. Down where, in the early 1800’s, his great-grandfather, Peter Quinn, farmed an 8-acre parcel of land that is now Crystal Park - home to the Banbridge Town Football Club. Peter left Dublin in 1860 and was a Merchant Seaman in Liverpool. In 1908, Peter’s son Arthur, emigrated to Hamilton where Pat’s father, John Ernest Quinn, was born in 1916. He played on Vancouver’s inaugural team in 1970-71 and later with the Atlanta Flames for five seasons. In 606 career NHL games from 1968-69 to 1976-77 he scored 18 goals and collected 113 assists for 131 points with 950 minsin penalties. A standout defenceman during his playing career, Pat coached 16 seasons in the NHL League with Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Vancouver and Toronto. His coaching highlights include Stanley Cup Final appearances in 1980 (Philadelphia) and1994 (Vancouver) and NHLs Coach of the Year in 1991-92 (Canucks) and 1979-80 (Flyers). He was selected as Head Coach of Team Canada on November 8, 2000, leading to Team Canada’s Men’s Hockey team at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and Canada’s gold medal-winning World Cup of Hockey, 2004 - Canada’s first Olympic gold since 1952. His success behind the bench also earned him the Head Coach position for the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. In 2008 Pat won gold at the IIHF U-18 World Championships and added a World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal to his impressive international resume in Jan. 2009. Quinn graduated with a B.A. in economics in 1972 from York University in Toronto, Ontario, three years after he began his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After retiring from his playing career in 1977, Quinn considered law school, but accepted a coaching position with the Philadelphia Flyers. Nearly five years later, Being under contract with the Flyers, his tuition was subsidized by the NHL club.He earned his law degree from the Widener University School of Law, in Delaware. HeHe never practiced law, but used his legal knowledge in his executive positions with the Vancouver Canucks and Maple Leafs. Pat Quinn died in Vancouver on November 23, 2014, following a long illness. He had been unable to attend the 2014 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony on November 17. He leaves behind his wife and their two daughters, Valerie and Kalli.

"We have lost a great man. It's a sad day for hockey and for everyone who loves our game. I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for Pat. He was a great leader and always a teacher. He taught me how to be a professional on and off the ice. He taught me how to play hockey the right way, how to win, and about the importance of respect and loyalty. Pat's impact on our city has been immeasurable. He was responsible for bringing hockey to the forefront in Vancouver. He brought the pride back to the Canucks and today his finger prints and impact are still felt within this organization." – Trevor Linden, President, Hockey Operations, Canucks Sports & Entertainment

Sports

Brothers Frank and Lester Patrick made vital contributions to hockey in its developmental days. They were excellent players, managers and team owners and ultimately the founders and organizers of leagues across North America. Frank was responsible for an incredible number of rule changes and innovations, shaping the modern game and influencing other sports with his keen mind and leadership. In his prime with the West Coast league he founded, he served as league president, coach, manager and star defenseman, all at the same time. Frank Patrick was born on December 21, 1885, two years after Lester, and grew up in Montreal. He attended McGill University and earned varsity letters in hockey, track and football before his graduation with a bachelor of arts degree. Prominent as a referee, officiating in the Montreal Senior Hockey League, he refereed his first Stanley Cup game at the age of 20. Frank was revolutionar player, much like Lester, who was then a star with the Montreal Wanderers. Prior to the Patricks' rise, the position of defense was used strictly to protect a team's own goal. Together, they were the first defensemen to rush with the puck and play an offensive role. The family moved to Nelson, British Columbia, where the brothers continued to change the game with their rushing style. Lester's amateur career was cut short when he received three invitations to turn pro, with Ottawa, Montreal and the Renfrew Millionaires. He responded to the Renfrew offer by asking for $3,000, an unheard-of sum, because he didn't really want to play in such a small place. He also wanted a guarantee that Frank could play as well, for $2,000. Renfrew acquiesced. When Frank was introduced as a Millionaire, he was called the best defenseman in the world. Following their first year in Renfrew, the brothers met with their father shortly after he had sold the family lumber company. Frank advocated beginning a league on the West Coast, using the proceeds from the sale of the business to build artificial rinks in a part of the country where the sport was little known and rarely played. Lester at first disagreed but their father backed Frank's idea. They spent $350,000 on a 10,000-seat arena in Vancouver, creating what was at the time the largest building in Canada, and another $125,000 on a rink in Victoria that accommodated 4,200. The league was called the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and it began play in 1911-12. Frank was league president and in charge of the Vancouver Millionaires In the second season, Patrick scored six goals in one game, establishing a record that has never been surpassed by NHL defenders. Frank was the leader, on the ice and in the boardroom, of a Vancouver team that won the Stanley Cup. The innovations Frank brought to hockey are key components of the modern game... the blue line, the forward pass and the playoff system, a change adopted by other leagues and sports around the world. Together with Lester, Frank began using numbers on players' sweaters and in programs to help fans identify the skaters. They allowed the puck to be kicked (not into the net) and goaltenders to fall to the ice to make a save, if need be. They credited assists when a goal was scored and they invented the penalty shot. In all, Frank was credited with 22 changes that remain in the NHL rulebook to this day. It's no wonder he was called "the brains of modern hockey."

The league had a difficult financial time and, with ster had foreseen, had a difficult time financially and with only 2 teams remaining in 1924, Vancovuer and Victoria joined the Western Canada Hockey League. Professional hockey in the west was failing when Frank sold 6 teams' players to the NHL. Frank stayed out of the NHL. Lester accepted an offer which lead to a successful tenure as coach and then manager of the New York Rangers. Frank moved east in 1933 to act as managing director of the NHL, coached the Boston Bruins for two seasons. He took over the Montreal Canadiens' business operations in 1939 and left after a heart seizure in 1941.

Frank was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1958 in the Builders category.

Lester died on June 1, 1960, after a battle with cancer. Less than a month later June 29, Frank died, the victim of a heart attack. 17

Jimmy McLarnin, one of 12 children, was born December, 1907, at Hillsborough, Co Down . The family emigrated to Canada when he was three. They were seven years on a prairie farm at Mortlach, Saskatchewan, before moving to Vancouver. Jimmy began boxing at 10, after getting into fights while defending his newspaper-selling pitch on street corners. By the age of 13 McLarnin’s ‘Pop’ and Pop's friend, Foster, had built a backyard gym and Jimmy pursued a spartan training regime supervised by Foster, who was an ex-fighter. Foster patiently taught him how to develop speed and reflexes while preaching the importance of not getting hit. "If they can't hit you, they can't beat you," he would say. After launching McLarnin’s career in Vancouver, Foster took the 16-year-old Jimmy to San Francisco. They had some difficulty obtaining fights because of his youthful looks so they 'added' two years to his stated age and he became known as ‘Babyface’. At 17, McLarnin had already established himself as a hard-punching fighter blessed with remarkable speed. He twice held the world 147 lb. crown. By 1927 his ring earnings had already topped $100,000, some of which he sent home to buy a house in Vancouver for his parents and eight of the other children. McLarnin's right hand was his feared weapon. He hit harder and more accurately than any of his contemporaries; and, although it became more damaged as his career progressed, McLarnin compensated by increasingly relying on his developing skills. His renowned durability meant that he was stopped only once in 77 contests. There was a moment when he was adjudged "washed up" after a former featherweight world champion broke his jaw, but McLarnin proved unstoppable. On May 29 1933 he won his first world title by knocking out his opponent, Corbett III, in 2 min 37 sec in Los Angeles. He was twice world welter-weight boxing champion. He beat the greats winning 63 out of 77 fights before retiring from the ring in November 1936 a wealthy man. He had married his childhood sweetheart, Lillian. They had four children. In retirement, McLarnin opened a machine shop, and appeared as himself in several films. He appeared as himself in several films, played golf and did some lecturing. McLarnin died on October 28.

Trihey was an influential team player who possessed an exceptional shot and superior puck handling skills. He was capable of anticipating the play, staying one step ahead of the oposition and having an emotional impact on a game. Widely known as a strategic player, two of Trihey's strategies changed the game: he was the first player known to plan an advance and, he reversed the practice of defence men flipping the puck into the air over their opponents’ heads, insisting instead that they rush up the ice, passing as necessary. Also, unusual in his day, he was a model for physical conditioning and diet

Trihey debuted with the Montreal Shamrocks in 1897, on a one-game appearance . The following year he was a regular and by 1899, a popular star on a much-improved team, outdistancing all players with 19 goals in 7 before earning a regular place on the roster the following year. By the 1899 season, he was a popular star on a much-improved team. He outdistanced all scorers with 19 goals in 7 games. seven games, including a remarkable 10 in one match against Quebec on February 4, 1899. The Shamrocks won all but one game in 1905, finishing top of the Canadian Amateur Hockey League standings to become holders of the Stanley Cup. Following an injured hand he reitired as a player and served as secretary-treasurer and president of the CAHL, also as a referee, sitting on advisory boards and he developed a successful law practice.

During World War I, Trihey was commissioned by the Government of Canada to raise the Irish Canadian Rangers. Lieutenant Colonel Trehey resigned his commission and returned to Montreal after the British High Command reversed its earlier promise to send the Rangers into battle as a discrete unit, instead choosing to plug them into the front line as reinforcements. In the wake of unrest over the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland there was no recruiting in Quebec and Ireland.

Trehey took a partnerhip in a law firm and served as a Port Commissioner on the Montreal Harbor Commission .

Henry Judah Trihey was born on December 25, 1877, he died on December 9, 1942 . He and his wife had three children - one son and two daughters. He was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.

Ned Hanlan, the world's single- sculls rowing champion from 1880 to 1884, was this country’s “first national sporting hero,” in the estimation of the Montreal Gazette. At a time when singles rowing was perhaps the world’s most popular sport—drawing upwards of 100,000 spectators when top racers squared off — Hanlan was its biggest star.

Hanlan was born on July 12th, 1855 in Toronto, Ontario to Irish parents; one of two sons and two daughters. His mother was Mary Gibbs, his father, John, was first a fisherman and later a hotel keeper on the Toronto Islands.

The Hanlan family originally lived at the east end of Toronto Island, but a severe storm in 1865 pushed their little house into the harbour. It washed ashore near the north end of Gibraltar Point, at the island’s west end. A few years later, Ned’s father built a small hotel there, and the area started becoming known as Hanlan’s Point, long before Ned became famous.

Young Hanlan used to row several kilometers across the harbour to go to and from George Street public school, Toronto every day. He developed speed to bring freshly-caught fish to sell at market before other fishermen arrived to compete. By the time Hanlan was a teenager, he was competing in rowing events and he gained his first important success at the age of eighteen, when he became amateur champion of Toronto Bay. He turned professional in 1874 / 5 and soon afterwards he beat all comers at the Centennial International Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876. In 1877 he became champion sculler of Canada, followed by Champion sculler of the United States in 1878. After further success in North America he decided to test his mettle against Europe and travelled to England in 1879 where, on 16 June 1879 he defeated the English champion, W. Elliott of Blyth, rowing the course from the Mansion House in Newcastle upon Tyne to the Scotswood Bridge on the River Tyne in the record time of 21 minutes 2 seconds. Ultimately he lost only six of his 300 races during his rowing career. He was the world sculling champion for five consecutive years from 1880-1884. Unlike his English professional rivals, he used the slide simultaneously with the swing, kept his body well back, and held his arms straight long past the perpendicular before bending them, added strength being given by the skillful use of his great leg power. He married on 19 December 1877 Margaret Gordon Sutherland of Pictou, Nova Scotia. They had two sons and six daughters. Following his career as an athlete, Hanlan became an hotelier like his father, and eventually became involved in municipal politics as an alderman of Toronto. He was the first head coach of the University of Toronto Rowing Club in 1887. In 1900, he decided to leave and coach the crew of Columbia University, New York for some years.

Ned died of pneumonia at age 52. Ten thousand Torontonians thronged to pay their final respects at the church where his body lay in state.

Holden with the Montreal Shamrocks on a 1911 Imperial Tobacco hockey card.

The ISSC Joseph P. Ryan Hurling Team (Men's) 2014.

Joseph Patrick Ryan

One of Seven co-founders of the GAA

69

The Hurlers of Long Pond, Winsdsor, Nova Scotia

Patrick John Charles Ryan Twice World Championship Skip

Geraldine HeaneyWinner of 7 IIHF World

Championship Gold medals

In 2008, Heaney was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame and, in 2013, the

Hockey Hall of Fame. Yet another accolade for this spectacular defenceman was to be part of the Class of 2014 inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. .

Born October 1, 1967 in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, Heaney began playing for the Toronto Aeros of in 1980 at the age of 13. She played a total of 18 seasons with the Aeros of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association, winning six provincial championships during that time as well as Most Valuable Defenceman in 1987-1988, 1991-1992 and 1992-1993.Geraldine played for the Canadian National Women's Hockey Team, winning gold medals at the IIHF World Women's Championships in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001. She was the only player to have played in all seven of those gold medal wins. She was named an All-Star in 1992 & 1999 championships. She earned the Directorate Award as the tournaments's best defence-man in the 1992 and 1994 championships. She participated in two Olympic Winter Games during her career, winning silver at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan (the first time women's game was admitted to Olympic competition) and gold in 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Salt Lake City, Utah. Heaney was the sole player to participate in every Women's National Championship from 1987 - 2001. She was named Best Defender at the 1993, 1997 and 2001 and was the Most Valuable Player in 1992. She earned a gold medal at the 2000 Esso Women's National Hockey Championship, and a bronze at the 2001 tournament.At World Roller Hockey Championships, she won a gold medal in 1992 and silver in 1994.

Heaney played 125 games with Canada’s National Women’s Team between 1990 and 2002, finishing with 27 goals and 66 assists. Her 93 points are the 93 13th most in national team history, 20 points ahead of , any other Canadian defenceman. She was a part of seven IIHF World Women's gold medal Women’s winning teams (1990, 92, 94, 99, 2000, 2001) and scored one of the most memorable goals in women’s hockey history in the 1990 gold medal game, helping

Canada to the first-ever world title. Twice named Best Defenceman at the world championship, in 1992 and 1994, she won Olympic silver in 1998, the first time women’s hockey was part of the Games, and played her final international contest in the 2002 gold medal game as Canada won its first Olympic gold.

She was one of the first three women inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame (along with Angela James and Cammi Granato) in 2008, and was just the third female player enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Heaney and her husband John, settled in Ancaster, Ont. with their two sons. She remains active in hockey, coaching six seasons with the University of Waterloo Warriors women's hockey team.

self-trained golfer, diabetic, an insurance salesman and and father of five children.Monday Sept. 19 1904, was a day-long, 36-hole qualifying match that left 31 Americans and 1 Canadian participating. From dawn to dusk they played in the face of strong winds driving a cold rain. By Saturday, Sept. 24, only two remained undefeated – Lyon and a classically trained 20-year old Harvard grad Chandler Egan who was the 1904 U.S. Amateur champion. As they prepared to tee off, a typhoon blew through St. Louis and torrents of rain lashed down. By lunchtime Lyon was 1 up on Egan. They stopped to change into dry clothes. Back on the course Egan maintained his lead for 14 holes, then, perhaps feeling too confident, he began trying to duplicate Lyon’s setup and ‘bearlike’ swing. Lyon won the four remaining holes. When Lyon was called up for the Olympic medal ceremony his booming baritone rang out from the back of the room... 'My Wild Irish Rose" – he was singing to his dear Irish wife waiting back home in Toronto. Still, they couldn’t see him until the crowd parted - and there he was- walking up to the podium on his hands! His early sporting career was in cricket, where, as a batsman he represented Canada eight times, averaging 14.07 and scoring 238 not out in a club game, at that time the highest score ever made in Canada Even as a late starter, Lyon was a golf legend in his time, racking up a long list of wins from the Canadian and U.S. Amateur and Senior Championships, as well as the Canadian Open, between 1898 and the 1930s. Citing Michael Cochrane, whose book Olympic Lyon is the definitive bio, CBC reported,‘This is a sports story about an Olympic athlete who deserves to be a household name, a history-making man whose exploits were the toast of a nation, but who quietly faded from the public gaze. And this is a mystery story about the disappearance of the one and only gold medal awarded for Olympic golf. But mostly, this is a Canadian story about a larger-than-life home boy, George Seymour Lyon.’Lyon's great grandson, Ros Wigle, wraps it up: ‘Before there was a Tiger in golf, there was a Lyon.’ George Seymour Lyon was born July 27, 1858, Richmond, Canada West. He died, aged 79, on May 11, 1938, Toronto, Ontario.

Born in Clonmel, Tipperary, Furlong was the leader of the team that bid, organized and staged the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. He believed that the Games would be a true nation builder with the power and reach to touch every Canadian and elevate the country. In 2009, Furlong was named Canada’s Most Influential Sports Figure by both the Globe and Mail, and by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Globe and Mail named Furlong Canada’s Nation Builder for 2010 and the Canadian Club named him Canadian of the Year.He was also voted one of the 25 Most Transformational Living Canadians by Cisco and The Globe and Mail. Furlong was named Canada’s marketer of the year for the manner in which he led and promoted Vancouver 2010 and Canada to the world. In 2010, Furlong was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and Member of the Order of British Columbia. Also presented the Canadian Armed Forces highest civilian medal and the Queens Silver Jubilee Medal. Furlong’s contributions to sport have brought him numerous major citations such as the IOC’s Olympic Order (Gold), Canada’s Olympic Order and the IPC’s Paralympic Order. Voted Canada’s Sport Executive of the Year for his contributions to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Bid, Vancouver’s Executive of the Year by the Vancouver Executive Association and in 2010, he was inducted as a Fellow of the BC Chamber of Commerce. He won Vancouver’s most prestigious tourism award for the promotion of Vancouver around the world, been inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame as the 2004 W.A.C. Bennett Award Winner and named BC’s Sportsman of the decade. He has competed internationally for his country in three sports. He has been awarded with Honorary Doctorate Degrees in Laws (5) and Technology (1) from UBC, The Justice Institute of BC, the University of Victoria and BCIT, UNBC and the University of Calgary. John Furlong is an Internationally Recognized Public Speaker, is Executive Chair of the Vancouver Whitecaps MLS Team, Chair of The Vancouver annual stop for the World Series of Rugby and Chair of Canada’s acclaimed Own the Podium Program.

from Ballymena, Northern Ireland to Parry Sound early in the 20th century. His father, Doug, had been invited to join the Atlantic City Seagulls but he turned the offer down and joined the Royal Canadian Navy serving in WWII. He was small and frail in early childhood but in the late 1950s his unexpected speed and skill developed. At age 14, Boston arranged for him to play with the Oshawa Generals in the metro Junior A League. In his first National Hockey League game, against the Detroit Red Wings and Gordie Howe, 18-year-old Orr impressed the home crowd and many reporters with his defensive abilities. He blocked shots, made checks and moved opposing players away from the net. He also recorded his first point - an ssist.In his first season. he won the Calder Trophy as the best rookie and made the NHL's Second All-Star Team.

He won his first Stanley Cup in 1970.

The team that hadn't won the Cup in 29

years, in the final game four went into

overtime. Orr had taken Derek Sanderson's

pass from the corner and flashed in front

of the net to bury it behind goalie Glenn

Hall. As Orr streaked past the net, he was upended by defensceman Noel Picard. Orr jumped, or flew, as he saw the puck beat Hall and the arena erupted. The picture, (above) with Orr's arms raised and his body floating three feet above the ice, was in newspapers and magazines around the world. Orr was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player, an award he would win when Boston again won the title in 1972, again with the Cup-winning goal coming off Orr's stick.Orr revolutionized the sport with his scoring ability and play-making from the blue line. Eight consecutive seasons Orr won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman and three times he was the league's most valuable player to collect the Hart Trophy.In 1976 Orr played for Canada in the Canada Cup. In the final Canada beat Czechoslovakia 6 - 0. Orr was selected the Most Valuable player for the tournament. Orr is the only defence-man in the history of the NHL to win the scoring race not once, but twice (1970 and 1975) winning the Art Ross Trophy. He also won the Hart Trophy, Most Valuable Player in 1970, '71, 72; the James Norries Trophy 8 times as Best Defenceman and the Lester Pearson Award as Outstanding Player selected by the NHL Players Assoc. Orr's left knee would once again impede his career and following surgery, he spent the 1977-78 season recuperating, trying to revive his battered knee after so many operations and injuries.Bobby and Peggy (Wood) married in 1973. They have two sons. Bobby worked frequently with charities in the coming years keeping it quiet. On a visit to a

children's ward, he got assurance not a word would be printed. He was involved in numerous charity fund raisers. In 1980 he was awarded the Multiple Sclerosis Society Silver Hope Chest Award for his "numerous and unselfish contributions to society." He maintained close links with the game and remained always fiercely loyal to his teammates.

Bobby Orr (centre back) was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979

and was one of eight Canadians selected to carry the Olympic flag during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics opening ceremonies

Son of John Ryan of County Tipperary Ireland and Maria Louisa Gibbs of Belfast Ireland, Pat was born September 28,

1955 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His achievements in the sport of Curling are Legendary. He appeared in his first Brier in 1979, the second for Paul Devlin's Alberta team. They finished 6-5. In 1985. He returned to the Brier, as skip of Team Alberta for an impressive performance, their only loss was in the final against Al Hackner of Northern Ontario. Two years later, Ryan would return to the Brier with a new team, but a disappointing 6-5 record. At the 1988 Labatt Brier however, Ryan's Alberta foursome won the championship defeating Eugene Hritzuk of Saskatchewan in the final. Ryan's team had a perfect 12-0 record. At the World Championships however, Ryan's team would be undefeated all the way to the final against Eigil Ramsfjell of Norway which he lost. Ryan returned to the 1989 Labatt Brier, which he won again, albeit with three losses along the way. Ryan would this time be able to win the 1989 World Championships, defeating Patrick Hürlimann of Switzerland in the final. Ryan was nicknamed the Ryan Express for his team's ability to peel rocks which led to many low scoring games, but gave the team two straight Brier championships. This strategy was perceived as boring, and elicited jeering from crowds, and forced the rules of curling to be changed with the implementation of the free guard zone. 1993 was Ryan's next Brier appearance. This time Ryan had moved from to Kelowna, BC. In 1993, he played third for Rick Folk which lost the final to Russ Howard from Ontario. In 1994 they won and at 1994 World Championships, Ryan would win his second World Championships, as their team defeated Jan-Olov Nässén of Sweden in the final. Ryan and Folk returned to the Brier again in 1995, however they finished 6-5. He returned in 2002, skip of team British Columbia, and his team finished 6-5 at the 2002 Nokia Brier. Ryan's last Brier to date was the 2003 Nokia Brier, where his team of finished 7-6Ryan moved back to Alberta, and won his first Canadian Senior Curling Championship (for curlers over 50 years old) in 2007 as the skip for Team Alberta. In 2008, Ryan skipped Canada to a World Senior Curling Championship. He moved to Toronto in 2008, and played alternate for Peter Corner's team at the 2009 TSC Stores Tankard Ryan holds a Masters Degree in Leadership-from Royal Roads University, Victoria BC and he is a qualified Certified Management Accountant. He is also an accomplished musician and singer, writing and performing country music with his daughter he has released two CDs.

Comhghairdeas do gach imreorí agus bainisteorí foirne ar bua iontach agus gnóthachtáil stairiúil!Congratulations to all players and team managers on a great victory and historic achievement !North American Championship Final Winners in Boston Massachusetts pictured here:

Canada‘s embrace of Gaelic games has provided wonderful memories for those of the Irish-Canadian community and has created an opportunity for all to discover an exciting facet of Ireland’s culture. The history of Gaelic games in Canada, before the founding of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland in 1884 and in the years since, proves a determination by Irish immigrants who have arrived in many provinces of Canada. Their dedication to the flag of Irish sports has flown strong, and will continue to fly in the years to come. Sporting traditions include the oldest European field game of hurling - a masterful art and the fastest game in the world-in which players use an ash wood stick and a hard ball. Many argue with some conviction, and no small amount of fact to support their case, that Canada’s national sport, ice hockey, has its origins in hurling. The word puck is derived from the Irish word poc, which is the action of striking the ball with a hurley.In 1845, the civic fathers of Quebec City banned the playing of hurling in their narrow streets, while in St. John’s, Newfoundland, hurling was being played as early as 1788 at the “Barrens” of the city. The women's' version of hurling, Camogie, has been present in some Canadian communities. The skilfull play of Gaelic Football, which has dominated the sporting scene across the country in many Canadian cities, continues to be the greatest strength in modern times In 10 cities across Canada are 14 affiliated clubs with the majority having both men’s and women’s teams. Clubs with minor programmes. British Columbia- Vancouver Harps, Alberta-- Calgary Chieftains, Red Deer Eire Ogs, Edmonton- Wolfe Tones, Toronto- St. Mikes, St. Pats (Men’s), St. Vincents (Men's), Toronto Gaels (Men’s), Durham – Robert Emmets, Brampton Roger Casements, Michael Cusacks (Ladies), Ottawa- Gaels, Quebec- Montreal Shamrocks and Les Patriotes de Quebec of Quebec City Youth Organizations that the County Board work with include Vancouver ISSC, Brampton Rebels, Toronto Chieftains, Ottawa Gaels and Ottawa Eire Og Hurling.